Key terms & definitions

The distance from the centre of an object to its edge.

The distance from the centre of a circular or spherical object to its outer edge; half its diameter.

The distance from the centre of a circle to its circumference.

The distance from the centre of a circle to its circumference.

The forearm bone on the thumb side, extending between the elbow and wrist.

The distance from the centre of a circle to its edge, equal to half the diameter.

A radioactive gas released naturally from rocks and the ground that can enter buildings.

A charitable school providing free education for impoverished children. The name came from the ragged clothing many pupils wore.

An informal name for the clothing and garment industry.

The Sikh code of conduct, which provides guidance on Sikh religious and community life.

A rapid attack intended to seize wealth, captives or supplies, rather than necessarily to hold territory permanently.

The Dutch attack on docked English warships in 1667, during which the flagship Royal Charles was captured.

A place where goods or livestock could be loaded onto trains, linking overland routes to the railway network.

The general direction of change in rainfall across a period of years, rather than an individual wet or dry year.

An area with relatively little rainfall on the sheltered side of a mountain range, after rising air has lost moisture on the other side.

Collecting and storing rainwater for later use.

Pulling fibre ends out from a fabric's surface to form a soft, hairy layer called a nap.

A substance that produces or introduces gas into a mixture, causing it to rise and become lighter.

British rule in India, including directly governed provinces and princely states under British authority.

Radio Joint Audience Research: the organisation that measures UK radio listening and publishes audience data quarterly.

The quality of activity, passion, desire and restlessness.

The path of meditation and disciplined control of the mind and senses, also called astanga yoga.

Powerful warrior rulers and clans, many of whom held kingdoms in Rajasthan in northern India.

A unit of salah consisting of recitations and a sequence of movements, including standing, bowing and prostration.

A stock character presented as wealthy, witty and attractive despite immoral behaviour.

A thread bracelet tied during Raksha Bandhan to express affection and a bond of protection.

A Hindu festival whose name means ‘bond of protection’, associated with protective threads, family affection and religious protection.

A projecting weapon at a warship’s bow, used to strike and damage an enemy vessel.

Random Access Memory: read/write main memory that holds programs and data currently in use. Its contents are lost when power is switched off.

The month of the Islamic lunar calendar in which Muslims observe obligatory fasting and remember the beginning of the revelation of the Qur’an.